Case Number 15104: Small Claims Court

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: SEASON 5, VOLUME 2

The Charge

His nautical nonsense be something you wish. So drop on the deck and
flop like a fish.

Yeah, that's just about the unchallenging essence of Nickelodeon's
SpongeBob SquarePants. So who's complaining?

The Case

Without a doubt, SpongeBob SquarePants is a cultural icon of our day,
as unlikely as that would have first appeared. The happy-go-luck sea sponge
(strongly resembling his kitchen-sink brethren and often mistaken as a hunk of
Wisconsin's finest) is an example of perpetual pleasantry. Residing in a
pineapple home situated within the undersea community of Bikini Bottom,
SpongeBob enjoys nothing more than to chase jellyfish and blow bubbles with best
friend, Patrick Star, sidle up to his beloved sea snail pet, Gary, and pass time
with his next door neighbor, Squidward. Most of all, SpongeBob loves his
work as a fry chef at the Krabby Patty restaurant under the father-like tutelage
of proprietor, Mr. Krabs. This is the enchanted world in which SpongeBob
lives.

But not all is as SpongeBob perceives it.

Indeed, SpongeBob can easily be regarded a simpleton, clinging just a few
mental points above, uh, challenged stature. Arguably dim-witted and
socially dense, SpongeBob appears a deserving passenger on one of those special
busses that helps certain special citizens live a productive lifestyle. While
even-more-simple friend Patrick is faithful though inconsistent in his
allegiance, SpongeBob is largely oblivious to the contempt Squidward bears
towards the young sponge. Similarly, SpongeBob is easily duped and exploited by
his hyper-greedy crustacean employer, Mr. Krabs. But, no matter how the odds are
stacked against SpongeBob, he always emerges the moral victor of every scheme
leveled against him.

Sounds like an overtly simple formula, doesn't it?

But therein lies the appeal of SpongeBob SquarePants, the fact that
it makes no excuses for its sappy-happy main character nor does it pass judgment
on his slow manner. Instead, the show is presented as a much-needed dose of,
well, silliness of the simplest sort. Creator Stephen Hillenburg delivers his
porous protagonist in most unassuming fashion, never feeling need to explain his
boxy physique, exaggerated overbite, and protracted pensiveness. SpongeBob is a
bit slow, to be sure, but he's about as genuine a friend as your ever likely to
find. Clearly, this quality attracted the show's intended under-12 target
audience but, surprisingly, the uncomplicated form and format of the cartoon
grabbed adults (especially the collegiate crowd) by the shirt collars and
compelled them to watch the inane adventures of SpongeBob, Patrick, and the
rest. Perhaps exalted for its pure escapist qualities, SpongeBob
SquarePants has become an unmitigated goldmine of gushing goodness, giving
viewers a much-needed pause from the harshness of life above the waves.

Afficionados of the show will be quick to proclaim this SpongeBob
SquarePants, Season 5, Vol. 2 is not the series' best work but,
nevertheless, is an improvement over the inexplicable sourness of the previous
Season 4. And while the practice of splitting a season across two volumes isn't
in the spirit of the generous sponge, the content here is well presented. In
this second volume that delivers the balance of Year Five's episodes, each is
presented in original 4:3 full frame broadcast format, the transfers are
absolutely spectacular in their sparkling and well-saturated goodness. The audio
comes by way of a crisp and clear Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix. Here are the
episodes, by name, that you'll find within this two-disc boxed set:

Extras on this set are a bit much to indulge in (that is if you're over 10
years old or aren't in the midst of a sanctioned dorm room drinking game). A
collection of five animated karaoke songs are here, if you choose to
participate:

* Bubble Song * Good-Bye Atlantis * Dead Eye * Together * If I could talk to money

All told, SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Volume 2 delivers more of
what SpongeBob fans crave (even though the show seems to air non-stop on cable
TV's Nickelodeon Network) and doesn't disappoint in its delivery of content
direct from Bikini Bottom. That said, it's difficult to find fault with such a
happy character living such an enchanted existence. And the fact that you can
find him on even the most basic of cable packages, all seems well in the world
of SpongeBob SquarePants.